Roach takes midnight flight for induction

MANILA, Philippines - Five-time Boxing Writers Association of America trainer of the year Freddie Roach will leave Las Vegas on a midnight flight via a private chartered jet shortly after Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Tim Bradley for his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, on June 10.

Roach will be accompanied in the five-hour flight by his mother Barbara, who was once a boxing judge, a brother, a sister and girlfriend Dr. Maya Matthews, a critical care specialist at the Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The induction will be held the morning after Pacquiao stakes his WBO welterweight crown against Bradley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Roach will be enshrined in the 23rd induction rites with ring announcer Michael Buffer, writer Michael Katz, broadcaster Al Bernstein and former champions Tommy Hearns and Mark Johnson. To be honored posthumously will be Cocoa Kid, Newsboy Brown, Leo Houck and Jake Kilrain in the oldtimers category, Hugh McIntosh and Rip Valenti in the non-participants class and James Wharton in the pioneers group.

Roach will rush to the Las Vegas airport right after the Pacquiao fight to board the private jet he is chartering to arrive in New York at dawn. His late mentor Eddie Futch was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Roach, 52, has worked with over 25 world champions. His prized ward is Pacquiao whom he has guided since the Filipino captured the IBF superbantamweight title in 2001. Roach was recently featured in a six-episode HBO TV critically-acclaimed reality series “On Freddie Roach” produced by “Battleship” director Peter Berg. A book on his life entitled “It May End Up Killing You – Hard-Fought Lessons From A Life In The Ring” is due for public release on Aug. 1 with author Peter Nelson only 50 pages away from finishing the manuscript.

Last month, Roach was flown on an Air France Airbus A380 double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet to Prague to be featured in a TV commercial for Jagermeister, a liquor brand. The filming was done in a Czech castle over two days.  Roach was in the commercial with Slayer guitarist Kerry King, NASCAR pit crew chief Mike Lingerfelt, world champion bullfighter Rob Smets, NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, street and tattoo artist Mister Cartoon and Big Wave surfer Nathan Fletcher. It is Roach’s second appearance in a TV commercial after San Miguel Beer.

Roach is a much sought-after celebrity trainer. In 2009-10, he trained Shaquille O’Neal for his reality series “Shaq Vs” over two seasons. O’Neal boxed Oscar de la Hoya in the first season and Sugar Shane Mosley in the second. Both were five-round fights where the first four rounds were timed two minutes each and the last, a minute. O’Neal lost the bouts by unanimous decision. The series featured O’Neal taking on several sports stars like Charles Barkley in golf, baseball’s Albert Pujols in a homerun derby and Michael Phelps in swimming. Roach has also trained Los Angeles Lakers Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace.

During the NBA lockout, Bynum spent several months working with Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. “Andrew’s heavy-handed as I found out doing mitts,” said Roach. “I trained him both left-handed and right-handed because in basketball, you use both hands. Ron (Artest, now known as Metta World Peace) wasn’t as consistent in coming to the gym as Andrew who worked real hard. But Ron worked hard in the gym, too.”

Roach has also trained mixed martial arts fighters Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, B. J. Penn and Frank Mir among others. Movie stars who’ve worked with Roach include Mickey Rourke and Mark Wahlberg.

Last Friday, Roach took time off to watch Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals between Talk ‘N’ Text and B-Meg at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. He was surprised at the physicality tolerated by the referees. Over 20,000 fans witnessed the action and Roach was mobbed at every turn.

“I love basketball and my team is the Boston Celtics,” said Roach who was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. “I’ve been a Celtics fan since the John Havlicek era. I think Miami and San Antonio will play in the NBA finals this season. I like Miami’s chances. It’s not fair how Miami players are criticized. It’s not their fault that they get big contracts. They’re just looking after the future of their families. It’s an exciting playoffs. Maybe, Miami will win it in the end.”

Roach was in the country for a month to train Pacquiao and Amir Khan. He left with Pacquiao for Los Angeles last Saturday night. Khan took off the night before. Roach will leave the Pacquiao camp for a week to be with Khan who takes on WBA/IBF lightwelterweight champion Lamont Peterson in a rematch in Las Vegas on May 19.